Valve lifter



J. S. FRYE VALVE LIFTER Nov. 14, 1933.

INVENTOR ATTdRNEY Filed Jan. 17, 1930 Patented Nov.'14, 1933 VALVE LIFTER; 1

"Jason"S.."Fry e,' Sacramento, Calif.

g Application January 17, 1931). ;Serial 421 466 tion with the valves'of gas engines to enable the valve stems to be disassociated from their springs and the locking means thereof when itis desired toremove' the valves for grinding orreplacement.

In engines used on a certain make of automobile each valve spring is seated in a hollow cone-shaped cup, flexibly but permanently connected with which are the vertically split keepers, which at their lower ends normally engage agroovefin the I valve stem andthen hold the cup against further downward movement. Raising of the cup automatically disengages the keepers from'the groove but 'upon pulling the valve stem upwardly or 15.5 again lowering the cup the keepers naturally tend to again seatthemselves in the groove, thus pref valves having keepers of this type, and avoids the use of a screw-driver or similar crude expedient as is now employed in endeavoring to hold the keepers spread while removing the valve stems and A further object of the invention is to produce 7 a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective forthe purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalviews:

Fig. 1 is a sectionallelevation of my improved tool head shown in connection with a manipulats ing or lifting device, and operating on'a valve to enable the same to be removed. T

Fig. 2 is an enlargedview of the device show-' ing the functioning of'the same to hold the keepers spread.

This invention relatesto tools used connec of the cup by lips 9 on top of'the keepers which by means of which both operations may be simul- I the subsequent labor cost inremoving or replacing 3'3- Claims. (Cr se -36.3

initially operatingon the valve and cooperating parts to reposition the keepers in position.

Fig, 4 isa similar view illustrating the final step' of repositioning the keepers.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on'the drawing, the numeral 1 denotes the" body o'f the tool-a tubular member having an enlarged head 2 on the top provided with a recess adjacent itsperiphery to receive and support the rim of thehollow cone-shaped cup 3 whichis slidable on the valve stem 4 and forms the seat for" one end of the valve spring 5. Projecting into'the cup are the vertically split opposed keepers 6, which are of hollow and substantially bell-shaped form, contracted fontheir lower ends as at 7 below the cup to closely engage the circumferential groove 8 formed about the stem toward its lower end. These keepers are permanentlybut loosely suspended from the top are bent outwardly to overhangthe top of the cup; the flaring sides of the cup normally engag- 'ing-the swell of the keepers above theircontracted ends to: wedgingly' press such ends together and into engagement with the groovei.

Slidable in the body below the head is aplunger' 10 whose downward movement is limited by cooperating shoulders 11 on the plunger and body,

and which is provided with a head 12 on its lower end to serve as a manipulating member as well as a stop limiting the upward movement of the plunger. Opposed fingers 13, tapered somewhat on their opposite sides toward their upper ends, proje'ct upwardly from and are formedwith the plunger;

The body 1 is rigidly fixed on one end of a suitable lever or "lifting. device, being preferably mounted on the outer end of one arm of a standard valve lifting tool which consists essentially of a pair of crossed arms '14 pivoted together inter- 95.

mediateutheir ends. The: arms at the ends to i which the body is fixed are adapted to project between the valve stem and a rigid engine part below, so that while. one arm engages and rests .onisaid part the body. maybe pressingly engaged with the valve spring .cup. Therefore on bring pressed, the cup and keepers being then raised above their normal level.

tracted ends automatically spread away from the groove 8. If anattempt is then made however-topull the valve stem upwardly or again lower the cup without positively holding the 119 V V The keepers are then suspended from the lips .and their lower conkeepers spread they will again automatically close of themselves and will reenter the groove. By the use of the plunger and its fingers however this is avoided and the keepers are positively held spread, as will now be shown. To accomplish this end the plunger, after the cup and keepers have been raised as above stated, is then turned and raised until the fingers 13 project between the separated keepers, which position can be easily obtained by the feel of the plunger as it is turned, and the valve stem may be then easily drawn upwardly, or the spring and cup removed by lowering the tool while maintaining the plunger in its relatively raised position.

When replacing the valve it is sometimes only necessary to lift the cup so that the keepers are slightly above the level of the stem groove; and upon then lowering the tool the action of the cup on the keepers as the cup is released will tend to cause the keepers to be moved toward each other and into engagement with the stem groove. To make this action positive however the plunger may be manipulated so that the fingers 13 are moved to engage the lower ends of the keepers midway between the split, as shown in Fig. 3, and

by then lowering the tool while holding the plunger tight against the keepers the latter are positively guided into position inthe stem groove as shown in Fig. 4, without the possibility of one of the keepersmoving down more than the other. The plunger may then be dropped and the tool removed.

From the foregoing description it will be read ily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as setforth herein. 1

While. this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred constructionof the device,

still in practice such deviations from such detail -rnay be resorted to as donot form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as. defined by the appended claims. a

Having thus described my invention what I clainras new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A lifter-for a valve having a hollow spring seating cup slidable thereon, and vertically split keepers to surround the stem of the valve projecting into and loosely suspended from the top of the cup, said keepers at their lower ends being contracted and adapted to closely engage a circumeferential groove in the stem with the pressure of the cup against the keepers; said lifter comprising a body adapted to be engaged with the cup to lift the same, lifting means associated with the body, a plunger slidably and turnably mounted in the body below the cup engaging portion thereof, and diametrally opposed fingers cumferential groove inthe stem with the pressure of the cup againstthe keepers said lifter comprising a body adapted to be engaged with the cup to lift the same'so that the keepers may be substantially alined with the stem groove, lifting means asscciatedwith the body, and a plunger slidable in the body below the cup engaging portion thereof to be engaged at will with'the keepers to hold the same against move ment longitudinally of the stem while the-cup is lowered about the keepers.

, 3. A valve-spring lifter comprising a body, adapted for connection to a lifting means, -a circumferentially recessed head on the upper end of the body to engage the'valve-spring cup, a-

plunger slidable in the body and projecting upwardly toward the head and opposed fingers pro-- between the valve-stem keepers.

JASON s. FRYEQ 

